NMSDC Leadership Week Awards Celebrate Minority Business Achievements
The Virtual Awards Ceremony features appreciation and inspiration along with a challenge to
“Activate Your G.R.I.T.: Growth, Resilience, Innovation, and Transformation.”
NEW YORK, NY | June 4, 2021 –The National Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc. (NMSDC) hosted their annual Leadership Week Virtual Awards Ceremony on Thursday, May 13, 2021. The awards celebration was the closing event of NMSDC’s 2021 Leadership Week—one of the organization’s premier annual educational and networking conferences.
Chartered in 1972, NMSDC is one of the leading minority business development organizations in the United States. The organization advocates for the economic sustainability of certified minority business enterprises (MBEs) and advances supplier diversity by facilitating procurement opportunities between its certified MBEs and their network of Corporate Members. The NMSDC network includes a National Office in New York, 23 affiliate regional councils, and five international partner organizations.
NMSDC welcomed MBEs, Corporate Members, and guests to the online Awards Ceremony which honored outstanding achievements in minority business leadership, advocacy, and success. This was the second year for this annual awards program to be presented in a virtual format. The week was filled with thought-provoking seminars, hosted by thought-leaders offering sage insight to entrepreneurs, and ending on a high-note with the Awards Ceremony. This year’s event Co-Chairs were Toyota Motor North America and Wells Fargo & Company.
The evening featured star power, with actress, comedian, game show host, and writer Kim Coles serving as emcee for the festivities. The NMSDC Officers and Co-Chair representatives presented awards to the winners of each category: Jose Turkienicz, Board Chair and Chief Procurement, Real Estate, and Global Business Services Officer at UPS; Guy Schweppe, Board Vice Chair and Senior Vice President Technology & Software Procurement at Dell Technologies; Clint Grimes, Treasurer and Senior Vice President & Chief Procurement Officer at Capital One; Gabe Castro, Secretary and Senior Vice President of Business Markets at Vistra Corp; Derek B. Cantey, Senior Vice President & Senior Supplier Diversity Manager at Wells Fargo & Company; Carla Neff, General Manager & Supplier Relations at Toyota Motor North America.
NMSDC Board Chair, Jose Turkienicz, provided a recap of Leadership Week, challenging guests to bring the week’s theme to action. “Our intent during Leadership Week was to inspire and inform, as well as to challenge and celebrate,” Turkienicz shared. “Now as we charge ahead into the second half of 2021, the time is right to activate all we’ve experienced, heard, and seen this week and put our G.R.I.T. (Growth, Resilience, Innovation, and Transformation) to the test!”
Turkienicz also took time to recognize members of the 2021 Leadership Week Honorary Committee. For a full list of committee members, please click here.
The evening’s true stars were 2021’s award winners, including those in the six Leadership Week Award categories:
- CEO of the Year | David Taylor | Chief Executive Officer |Procter & Gamble Company.
- CPO of the Year | Craig Reed |VP and Chief Procurement Officer | Corteva Agriscience.
- 2021 Robert M. Stuart Leadership Award | Reginald K. Layton | Vice President, Supplier Diversity & Supply Chain Sustainability | Johnson Controls, Inc.
- Supplier Diversity Professional of the Year | Gladys Lopez | Global Head of Supplier Diversity | BNY Mellon.
- MBE of the Year | Stephen Hightower | President & CEO |Hightowers Petroleum Co.
- Vanguard of the Year | Peter Hurst | President & CEO |Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council.
Announced during the Awards Ceremony were top honors of the “Rethinking Your Business Strategy Pitch Competition” presented by NMSDC’s Emerging Young Entrepreneurs (EYE) program. Newly minted entrepreneurs competitively pitched their business plan by creatively showcasing their growth strategies in their respective industries. 2021 Winner, Vincent Peak, Co-Founder of Share Farm enthusiastically delivered his 3-minute, awarding winning pitch, live to the attendees.
NMSDC expresses their sincere appreciation to the generous support provided by all sponsors of our 2021 Leadership Week and Awards Ceremony: Co-Chairs, Premier, Gold, Silver, and Bronze levels, and their support in the development and economic advancement of minority businesses.
For additional information about NMSDC, becoming a certified Minority Business Enterprise, or Corporate Member, please visit NMSDC.org.
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